EDUPALL Partners

The Faculty of Medicine in Transylvania University of Brasov was established by the Government Decision No. 568/16.08.1995 and accredited by the Government Decision No. 410/2002. Three undergraduate degree programmes (Medicine, General Nursing, and Physical–kinetic–therapy) and three master degree programmes (Management of Nosocomial Infections, Preventive and Public Health Strategies and Management and Palliative Care Strategies) currently operate in the Faculty of Medicine.

UTBv has more than 19000 students attending courses, at bachelor/master and PhD level, in technical, economic, law, music, sociology, pedagogy, medicine and nursing fields and an educational tradition for over 50 years. UTBv has over 850 teaching staff and more than 600 auxiliary employees, covering almost the entire field of sciences. In research, it cooperates with 152 European universities. In the last number of years more than 30 projects (including FP5, FP6, Comenius, Erasmus, Minerva, Networks or Leonardo) were carried out in the university.

Transylvania University of Brasov is the first university in the country to have established a palliative care program at master level in 2010. The masters is multidisciplinary and offers clinical and organizational / leadership training in palliative care and benefits from collaborating with Prof. Daniel Hinshaw in Michigan University. Since 2005, palliative care has been available as optional or elective courses for medical students and there is 4 dedicated hours of palliative care training for nursing students.

Hospice Casa Sperantei Foundation is a charity organization founded in 1992 in Brasov. It is a large organization, accredited to ISO 9001-2008, with over 250 employees and over 350 volunteers. The hospices mission is to provide and promote palliative careservices for patients with cancer and other chronic progressive diseases in Romania and in the region. The services offered are free to eligible patients and their families and aim to ensure good quality of life by relieving suffering. The clinical services provided by the Hospice Casa Sperantei covers the Brasov County and Bucharest and the education programes cover Romania and Eastern Europe.

The organizations covers three areas:

A             Specialist Clinical Services

1.            Home-based Palliative care for adults with cancer and children with life-limiting diseases
2.            Inpatient unit for adults and children i
3.            Outpatient clinic for palliative care, currently the only such service in Romania.
4.            Day centres for adults and children with incurable diseases in stable phases in Brasov and Bucharest.

B.           Education Programmes (palliative care)

To promote and improve accessibility of palliative care services in Romania, the Foundation has developed post-graduate national educational programs for professionals. The courses are accredited by the College of Physicians, Order of Nurses in Romania and the 18 months subspecialty palliative care course is certified by Ministry of Health. Hospice contributed to setting up the first master degree program for palliative care at the Transylvania University (Brasov). The same medical university established the first PC chair in Romania in cooperation with the Hospice. The organization has educated and works with131 national trainers and mentors. Between 1997 and 2013 over 19,000 professionals attended the courses (doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, therapists, clergy, managers, etc).

C.           Advancement of Palliative Care at national and international level

The organization is actively advocating for the advancement of palliative care in Romania and the East-European region, by:

–        Organizational and professional support and consultancy for setting up palliative care services

–        Development of Pilot programs – recently basic palliative care through GPs in 4 counties

–        Legislative improvement to integrate palliative care in the national healthcare system;

–        Cooperation with the national authorities (Ministry of Health, National House of health Insurances, etc) to develop a national program for palliative care

–        Cooperation with authorities to improve funding mechanisms for palliative care.

In 2003 Hospice Casa Sperantei was described as Beacon of Excellence in Eastern Europe (Clark D. 2003), following a study of 475 services providers in 28 countries in the region. In 2014 it was awarded the title of Centre of Excellence in Nursing. It is part of the European Palliative Care Academy and one of the seven models of PC development in the 2014 Global PC Atlas.

The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC), established in 1988, is a membership organization that aims to advance, influence, promote and develop palliative care in Europe.  Since its inception, the EAPC has evolved into the leading palliative care organization in Europe providing a forum for all of those either working, or with an interest in, palliative care throughout Europe and beyond. Currently the EAPC has 56 member associations from 32 European countries and also has individual members from 48 countries globally.  Members are engaged in palliative care from a range of perspectives; specialist clinical practice, education, policy and research.   The EAPC is respectful of the cultural and political diversities of our members across Europe but aims to ensure that as collective group that we speak with ‘one voice-one vision’ on matters important for the practice and development of palliative care.

The EAPC world congress takes place on alternate years and is attended by over 2500 delegates from Europe and across the globe. The European Association for Palliative Care Research Network (EAPCRN) runs biennial congresses and also organizes an annual research seminar. The EAPC have a long and proud history of producing position papers, white papers, reports and academic papers about the key issues in palliative care. Work for these papers is undertaken by groups of members known as task forces.  The topic of papers can either be proposed by the Board of the EAPC, or others arise from ideas suggested by EAPC members who are encouraged to develop proposals. The EAPC has a proud history of involvement in the development of educational initiatives for healthcare professionals working in palliative care.  Curricula have been developed for nurses, undergraduate medical students, post-graduate physicians and also for those working in pediatric palliative care.

RWTH Aachen University is one of Europe’s leading institutions for science and research with 260 institutes in nine faculties. It has gained worldwide recognition in several rankings. RWTH Aachen University is characterized by its strength in science and engineering education. It also provides a wide range of subjects in Economics, Arts and Humanities and Medicine with an emphasis on intensive interaction between all disciplines. Our University has co-operations with many universities and research centers throughout the world. Every year, a great number of international students and scientists visit RWTH Aachen University to study and research at a high standard recognized on an international level. Within the university hospital acting for the medical faculty of the RWTH was the first university in Germany that established a department of palliative medicine directly at the university hospital. The Faculty of Medicine is made up of 24 institutes, 30 departments and four dental clinics. The number of professors from chairs and teacher and research areas is currently around 90. Approximately 1,900 students are enrolled in the medicine course of study, with 600 students in the remaining courses of study. Since 2003 the department has developed educational programs for medical students, postgraduate courses for doctors, educational courses for nurses as well as train-the-trainer courses to instruct future teachers in the field.

All Ireland Institute of Hospice & Palliative Care (AIIHPC) is a leading organisation with national and international influence driving excellence in palliative care.  AIIHPC was established in 2010 as a collaborative of hospices, health and social care organisations and universities on the island of Ireland. AIIHPC advances education, research and practice to improve the palliative care experience of people with life limiting conditions and their families. As the palliative care sector’s institute, AIIHPC is:

• involving service users, carers and communities in palliative care delivery and development
• working to integrate palliative care across the health system so people are supported as early as possible,
• supporting the development of specialist palliative care services for everyone who needs them.

The first medical school in Romania was created in Iasi, in 1879, within the first modern university in the country. Since 1965, the University comprises the faculty of medicine, the faculty of dentistry and the faculty of pharmacy whilst the faculty of bioengineering was founded in 1994. Since 1990, the institution operates as the University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMF) and bears the name of one of its faculty members, Grigore T. Popa, a world renowned scientist.

The number of students registered for undergraduate degrees, Masters, PhDs and residency studies is currently over 9000. The university has been successful at attracting international students and has large cohorts of English and French speaking students. There are almost 2814 foreign students from approximately 60 nationalities who bring a rich vein of international experience which enables the University to be considered as one of the most open and cosmopolitan higher education institutions in Eastern Europe.

In 2013, the University participated in the “European University Association’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (EUA – IEP)”. According to the EUA, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy is “a well-established institution of high national and international reputation, with highly motivated academic and administrative staff, committed student and supportive stakeholders.” External reviews have confirmed its “leading position in the region and the country”. The team pointed out “that UMF will fulfill its mission adding value to the welfare of the Romanian society, strengthen its position as global player as a university of medicine and pharmacy and contribute to the international scientific progress in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and bioengineering.”

The University has developed over the years extensive international cooperation partnerships through European programmes like LLP Erasmus, Tempus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig, having almost 40 partners. The number of professors from chairs and teacher and research areas is currently around 456 plus a total of 384 additional teaching and administrative staff.

The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Targu Mures (UMFTGM) is categorized as a teaching and scientific research university. The University is located in Tîrgu Mures city, the seat of Mures County in the north-central part of Romania, being the 16th largest city in Romania. The University unfolds its activity as a University whose structure and academic specializations are accredited under the law. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Targu Mures functions as a public institution with legal status and is the only Romanian university in the field of  health that has teaching programmes in Romanian, Hungarian and English.

The graduates of the study programmes are distinguished depending on the level of academic qualification: bachelor, master, doctoral or depending on the area of specialization of skills, according to the division of academic knowledge and professional division of labor. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Targu Mures includes the following education and  research  units:  Faculty  of  Medicine,  Faculty  of  Dental  Medicine,  Faculty  of  Pharmacy,  Institutional  organizer  of  PhD  studies.

The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Târgu Mures, is a famous academic institution which is accessible to all Romanian and foreign citizens without any discrimination. As a centre of excellence it provides knowledge and competence in various forms: initial and continuous training of specialists, research, expertise and consultancy in its field of competence.

The mission of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Târgu Mures is to generate and transfer knowledge to the society through:

• Training of highly qualified medical specialists
• Enrichment and dissemination of scientific, cultural, social and ethical values in the medical and pharmaceutical fields
• Promoting critical thinking among professionals and the public
• Scientific and cultural development in the medical and pharmaceutical fields
• Assertion of national scientific values in the medical field and integration into the European practice
• Development of consciousness and of the behavior of promoting human freedom and democratic principles.